Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Thailand instead of Malaysia, you would:

Health

live 1.5 years longer

In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In Thailand, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

be 35.9% less likely to be obese

In Malaysia, 15.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Thailand, that number is 10.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 76.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Malaysia, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 0.9% as of 2023.

make 37.2% less money

Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $33,600 as of 2023, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $21,100 as of 2023.

pay a 25.0% higher top tax rate

Malaysia has a top tax rate of 28.0% as of 2016. In Thailand, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 38.1% more likely to die during childbirth

In Malaysia, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Thailand, 29.0 women do as of 2020.

have 30.3% fewer children

In Malaysia, there are approximately 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 12.4% less likely to have internet access

In Malaysia, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Thailand, about 85.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 17.9% less on education

Malaysia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Thailand spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 31.1% less coastline

Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, The Revenue Department, Government of Thailand.

Thailand: At a glance

Thailand is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 510,890 sq km. A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally in 1954 after sending troops to Korea and later fighting alongside the United States in Vietnam. Thailand since 2005 has experienced several rounds of political turmoil including a military coup in 2006 that ousted then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat, followed by large-scale street protests by competing political factions in 2008, 2009, and 2010. THAKSIN's youngest sister, YINGLAK Chinnawat, in 2011 led the Puea Thai Party to an electoral win and assumed control of the government. A blanket amnesty bill for individuals involved in street protests, altered at the last minute to include all political crimes - including all convictions against THAKSIN - triggered months of large-scale anti-government protests in Bangkok beginning in November 2013. In early May 2014 YINGLAK was removed from office and in late May 2014 the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the caretaker government. Thailand has also experienced violence associated with the ethno-nationalist insurgency in Thailand's southern Malay-Muslim majority provinces. Since January 2004, thousands have been killed and wounded in the insurgency.
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How big is Thailand compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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